It is conventional in hunting to eviscerate the carcass of a game object as soon as practicable after it has been killed. It is particularly convenient to suspend the carcass to render the game flesh as palatable as possible. Often a game object is porcine weighing in at fifty or more pounds. Such carcasses are suspended from makeshift means, such as a rail between two trees or suspended from an object, such as a vehicle. Hoisting game promptly after a kill is preferable and aids in keeping the game object away from pests and debris found on the ground. The present invention is an improvement over other game hoists as it does not rely on the availability of a nearby tree, vehicle or other support to operate. Further, the game hoist can be folded to facilitate transportation. The game hoist can be readied in minutes most anywhere in the field for hanging, cleaning and butchering large game.
A variety of game hoists are known in the prior art. Exemplary of such prior art game hoists include the following:
U.S. Pat. No.InventorIssue Date4,806,063YorkFeb. 21, 19894,997,152WagmanMar. 5, 19915,417,609OldhamMay 23, 19955,562,534McGoughOct. 8, 19965,588,907DePietroDec. 31, 19965,662,451MuzziSep. 2, 19976,109,855Vela-CuellarAug. 29, 20006,626,748Homer, Sr.Sep. 30, 20036,705,821PhilippsMar. 16, 2004
These prior art game hoists generally are configured to be mountable to a tree or a vehicle, such that they benefit from the height of the tree or vehicle to provide support for elevating the game. However, these devices are not as freely usable when no trees are available or when no vehicles are available for attachment of such prior art devices. At least one game hoist does not require attachment to a vehicle or tree, namely the patent to Wagman (U.S. Pat. No. 4,997,152). However, Wagman does not include any substantially horizontal crossbar, but rather provides legs that come together at an apex point and leaving little clearance between the legs and the apex point where the game animal is suspended. A user thus has less maneuverability and flexibility when skinning and otherwise dressing the game.
Accordingly, a need exists for a game hoist that can be supported upon the ground, and which beneficially is collapsible so that it can be packed to a variety of different locations and then utilized even in locations where no trees or other overhanging structures are available. Such a device would further benefit from providing easy access to all sides of the game animal, and potentially lift multiple game animals and provide a lifting mechanism to provide a mechanical advantage to assist the user in lifting large game animals up off of the ground.